2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football
BBVA Compass Bowl Champions
BBVA Compass Bowl vs. Houston, W 41–24
Conference Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches #23
AP #24
2013 record 9–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach James Franklin (3rd year)
Offensive coordinator John Donovan (3rd year)
Offensive scheme Multiple
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop (3rd year)
Base defense 4-3
Home stadium Vanderbilt Stadium
2013 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#5 Missouri x   7 – 1         12 – 2  
#4 South Carolina   6 – 2         11 – 2  
Georgia   5 – 3         8 – 5  
#24 Vanderbilt   4 – 4         9 – 4  
Florida   3 – 5         4 – 8  
Tennessee   2 – 6         5 – 7  
Kentucky   0 – 8         2 – 10  
Western Division
#2 Auburn xy†   7 – 1         12 – 2  
#7 Alabama x‡   7 – 1         11 – 2  
#14 LSU   5 – 3         10 – 3  
#18 Texas A&M   4 – 4         9 – 4  
Mississippi State   3 – 5         7 – 6  
Ole Miss   3 – 5         8 – 5  
Arkansas   0 – 8         3 – 9  
Championship: Auburn 59, Missouri 42
† – BCS representative as conference champion
‡ – BCS at-large representative
x – Division champion/co-champions
y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 2013 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represents Vanderbilt University during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Commodores play their seven home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville, Tennessee, which has been Vanderbilt football's home stadium since 1922. The 2013 team is coming off back-to-back bowls for the first time in school history. The 2012 season was the best win pct since 1955 (.692) the nine wins was the most since 1915, and the 5 SEC wins was the most since 1935. The 2012 season ended with the current longest win streak in the SEC, needless to say this was one of the best seasons in Vanderbilt football history. The 2013 team was headed by James Franklin who was in his 3rd and final year at Vanderbilt.[2] It marked the Commodores 123rd overall season, 80th as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 22nd within the SEC Eastern Division. For the third straight year Vanderbilt has made it to a bowl game the game will be the first played after December 31 of the same year of the season. Vandy defeated Houston Cougars in the BBVA Compass Bowl 41–24. Vanderbilt finished with 9 wins back to back for the first time in school history, also for the first time was ranked in the top 25 of AP and Coaches polls in back to back years.

Before the season

A small amount of controversy accorded when Vanderbilt canceled games at home with Northwestern and away with Ohio State. A letter was sent cancelling the games, the explicit reason being the need to accommodate Mizzou into Vanderbilt's SEC East Division. Northwestern, like Vanderbilt in the SEC the sole private institution in the Big 10, alleged that the real reason was fear on the part of Vanderbilt to continue playing its Big 10 counterpart—a series which had been referred to as the Battle of the Nerds.[3]

In a development unrelated to the schedule changes, on August 9, 2013, four former players were indicted for rape and had been arrested. Brandon Vandenburg, Cory Batey, Brandon Banks and Jaborian McKenzie were taken into custody and given a state mandated HIV test. All four men were charged with five counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery. They allegedly had sex with an unconscious 21-year-old victim in the school's Gillette House dorm on June 23, 2013. The defendants were dismissed from the football team on June 29, 2013 and banned from campus during the six-week investigation that followed.[4] A fifth player, Chris Boyd, pleaded guilty to criminal attempt to commit accessory after the fact and was dismissed from the team but not the university[5] for his role in helping to cover up the rape.[6]

Coaching staff

Name Position Year
James Franklin Head Coach 3rd
John Donovan Offensive Coordinator / Running Backs Coach 3rd
Bob Shoop Defensive Coordinator / Safeties Coach 3rd
Charles Bankins Special Teams Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach3rd
Josh Gattis Wide Receivers Coach2nd
Herb Hand Offensive Line Coach4th
George Barlow Defensive Backs Coach2nd
Brent Pry Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers Coach3rd
Ricky Rahne Quarterbacks Coach 3rd
Sean Spencer Defensive Line Coach3rd
Andy Frank Assistant Director of Football Operations5th
Jemal Griffin Football Chief of Staff3rd
Michael Hazel Director of Football Operations 5th
Matt Ruland Assistant Recruiting Coordinator 2nd
Joey Orck Offensive Graduate Assistant 5th
Tom Bossung Head Athletic Trainer 15th
Kevin Colon Associate Director of Student Athletics 3rd
Dwight Galt Football Strength and Conditioning Director 3rd
Chuck Losey Football Assistant Strength Coach 3rd
Kevin Threlkel Offensive Administrative Assistant 3rd
Luke Wyatt Head Equipment Manager 31st

[7]

Recruiting

Schedule

Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance
August 29 8:15 p.m. Ole Miss Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) ESPN L 35–39   40,350
September 7 6:30 p.m. Austin Peay* Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN CSS W 38–3   33,162
September 14 6:00 p.m. at #13 South Carolina Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, SC ESPN L 25–35   81,371
September 21 11:00 a.m. at Massachusetts* Gillette Stadium • Foxborough, MA ESPNews W 24–7   16,419
September 28 6:30 p.m. UAB* Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN3 W 52–24   32,467
October 5 6:30 p.m. Missouridagger Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN CSS L 28–51   36,892
October 19 11:00 a.m. #15 Georgia Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) CBS W 31–27   40,350
October 26 11:21 a.m. at #14 Texas A&M Kyle Field • College Station, TX SECTV L 24–56   86,584
November 9 11:00 a.m. at Florida Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL SECRN W 34–17   88,004
November 16 11:21 a.m. Kentucky Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN (Rivalry) SECTV W 22–6   33,488
November 23 6:00 p.m. at Tennessee Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry) ESPN2 W 14–10   97,223
November 30 11:21 a.m. Wake Forest* Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN SECTV W 23–21   33,019
January 4 12:00 p.m. vs. Houston* Legion Field • Birmingham, AL (BBVA Compass Bowl) ESPN W 41–24   42,717
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV 24 
Coaches' RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR RV RV RV 23 
Harris Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released 
BCS Not released NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Not released

References